Thunder
by Rose Something
Summary: Teencast AU. Long lectures, heavy rain, the inability to tell someone you love them and all is on the hazard. Pairings: Zoethian
1. Chapter 1

A.N: This fanfiction is based off of the teencast AU that seems to be popular. Zoethian pairing and no warnings. Thanks for reading!

_-_

"Why, now blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark! The storm is up, and all is on the hazard."– William Shakespeare

Light rain collided with Rythian's purple umbrella as he waited outside the large computing and engineering building of the campus. A bleak, ashen canopy hung over the town and cast down its drizzle to dampen everyone's day. Puddles had begun to gather themselves in pot holes and uneven path ways and large foliage no long provided suitable shelter to students trying to light a cigarette.

Rythian look a step back as he tried to escape the puddle forming around his tattered military boots. He hated getting wet and especially hated the rain. At least with bathing he could choose when he got wet but with rain, you can no choice but to grin and bear the cold, clammy disgust and shivers down your spine when rain droplets hit the top of your exposed neck. He shrugged further under his umbrella and glared at the fire door. He had agreed to wait for Zoeya after certain lectures but he was beginning to think such an agreement should include not having to come out on down cast days. He let out a sigh, his breath collecting in the air as steam from the cold of the rain before dispersing into nothing. He knew he couldn't just stand her up like a ditchable prom date, he would brave the sun or wind or anything for Zoeya, regardless how much damage it did to his perfectly styled and tousled hair. She had a fair few moments where she would vanish without a trace, come back with some ridiculous story about mushroom rebels and iron golems and things would simply pick up right where it was left off. Usually without a hitch.

Shuffling a little under the umbrella, Rythian zipped up his thick rain coat so the large collar drew tight in around his mouth and nose and masked his more sensitive features from the rain.

"Come on Zoey..." he said to himself, his fingers gripping tighter to the handle of the umbrella. He watched droplets gather on the helm of the umbrella before falling to the ground due to their collective weight. He watched them fall in defeat from their hubris with a grin.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He clung to the plastic handle with his left hand and scrambled into his jean pocket with his right. With a few odd body motions and a small grunt, he freed his phone from his dark jeans and drew it up to his face. He squinted at the glowing screen, trying to make out the words. He released a disgruntled sigh. It was Zoeya.

"Zoey, where are you?" He pressed with a slight hint of worry in his tone.

"Er...Romeo, Romeo, I'm requesting a pick up." came Zoeya's voice through the receiver as Rythian pressed it to his cold ear.

"Tell me your coordinates Juliet." Rythian chucked and began trekking down the wet tile path. He weaved in and out to avoid standing in puddles despite wearing his boots. He kept close to the side of the red brick building, trying to shade himself further as he walked.

"Oh...Hm...I'm not sure Rythian. Oh gosh I'm lost- Rythian help oh gosh. Oh hey."

Rythian stood in front of Zoeya as they met at the corner of the building before hanging up the phone. She grinned up at him from under the hood of her bright red rain coat, her dyed red fringe hung over her face in rat tails from the rain and her mushroom print backpack that hung over her right shoulder was clearly soaked through. Despite this, she was still as bright and cheery as she always was. She jumped to his side and hooked her arm with his so they were both hidden from the world under Rythian's umbrella.

"Hey good lookin', what's cookin'?" she asked as they walked up the hill; arm in arm, and out of the campus.

"Oh you know, not a lot, just losing my mind and freaking out while you're not around." He shrugged and laughed, "The usual."

She grinned in response as they approached the main road and began marching up the street towards the campus halls. Rythian choose to stay silent during their journey. Sometimes he simply felt the need to just remain quiet and enjoy the atmosphere when he was around Zoeya. She had no issue with filling the silence it seemed, so he always left her to do all the talking. It was very calming and almost meditative for him. He preferred to listen to her voice than his own droning on about something he hoped she found interesting.

Cars streaked pass and spluttered water up behind them. Zoeya took pleasure in stomping in puddle that formed in the cracks and indents of the tiled street while she described every detail of her day. Rythian grimaced as the filthy water droplets scarred his jeans, soaked through to his skin and caused the hairs on his legs to stand up.

"So then Barry told me about the rebels and...Oh golly I forgot but I'm going out later with Duncan, we're going to The Laboratory to talk about science and computers and stuff."

Rythian scoffed to himself. Duncan may be one of the most intelligent minds of the Computing course but he wasn't the smartest. What he lacked in substance he tried to make up in intellect. He was obsessed with his growth and power than he was the happiness of others, besides his own of course. He wanted to master each aspect of each subject but in doing so he missed out on a lot of important aspects with Rythian found laughable.

"Wouldn't you rather cheat on science with magic? I'm more fun anyway." he boosted with a grin, raising an eyebrow at her suggestively.

"We're doing a group project together and we have to share notes!" she responded, elbowing him in the side with a small laugh. Rythian faked a wince and shot a faux glare at her earning a wide grin from Zoeya.

"I'm sure that's not all he wants to share..." he grumbled with a grin, tightening his arm around hers. "Just make sure he doesn't sway you with any booze, you know how you are with the drink."

"Oh come on Ryth! I only spent four hours playing 'the leaver game' with Tee in serious silence!"

Rythian sighed and laughed softly under his breath as they approached Zoeya's shared house. "Fair enough." He told her as he walked her to the door, making sure she stays sheltered from anymore rain. She stood in the porch of her house and tugged down her hood. The front of her hair was drenched while the back remained completely dry. She pulled her long red hair out from under her coat and tightened the scrunchie that held back her tangled locks. She looked up at the clouds, her brows furrowed in worry.

"Ryth, you think there'll be a thunder and lightnight storm?" She questioned slowly, as if her words had the power to alter the events of the day.

Rythian stared up at the sombre sky and pursed his lips in thought; he shrugged and turned back to her.

"It's hard to tell." He told her, watching the rain water sputter forth from the plastic drain pipes attached to the house and into the dirty gutter below. He had a terrible feeling is his gut that this barrage from above of water was the beginnings of a terrible storm. It made him feel very uncomfortable in leaving Zoeya by herself but he attempted to reassure himself that she would be with the 'great and almighty' Duncan so he would keep her safe. Or so he assumed.

Zoeya and Rythian shared a soggy good bye hug before she scurried inside to dry off and freshen up as Rythian turned and made his way back to his own apartment to grab a much needed towel and a warm cup of coffee.

_"__Why, now blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark! The storm is up, and all is on the hazard."_– William Shakespeare

Light rain collided with Rythian's purple umbrella as he waited outside the large computing and engineering building of the campus. A bleak, ashen canopy hung over the town and cast down its drizzle to dampen everyone's day. Puddles had begun to gather themselves in pot holes and uneven path ways and large foliage no long provided suitable shelter to students trying to light a cigarette.

Rythian look a step back as he tried to escape the puddle forming around his tattered military boots. He hated getting wet and especially hated the rain. At least with bathing he could choose when he got wet but with rain, you can no choice but to grin and bear the cold, clammy disgust and shivers down your spine when rain droplets hit the top of your exposed neck. He shrugged further under his umbrella and glared at the fire door. He had agreed to wait for Zoeya after certain lectures but he was beginning to think such an agreement should include not having to come out on down cast days. He let out a sigh, his breath collecting in the air as steam from the cold of the rain before dispersing into nothing. He knew he couldn't just stand her up like a ditchable prom date, he would brave the sun or wind or anything for Zoeya, regardless how much damage it did to his perfectly styled and tousled hair. She had a fair few moments where she would vanish without a trace, come back with some ridiculous story about mushroom rebels and iron golems and things would simply pick up right where it was left off. Usually without a hitch.

Shuffling a little under the umbrella, Rythian zipped up his thick rain coat so the large collar drew tight in around his mouth and nose and masked his more sensitive features from the rain.

"Come on Zoey..." he said to himself, his fingers gripping tighter to the handle of the umbrella. He watched droplets gather on the helm of the umbrella before falling to the ground due to their collective weight. He watched them fall in defeat from their hubris with a grin.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He clung to the plastic handle with his left hand and scrambled into his jean pocket with his right. With a few odd body motions and a small grunt, he freed his phone from his dark jeans and drew it up to his face. He squinted at the glowing screen, trying to make out the words. He released a disgruntled sigh. It was Zoeya.

"Zoey, where are you?" He pressed with a slight hint of worry in his tone.

"Er...Romeo, Romeo, I'm requesting a pick up." came Zoeya's voice through the receiver as Rythian pressed it to his cold ear.

"Tell me your coordinates Juliet." Rythian chucked and began trekking down the wet tile path. He weaved in and out to avoid standing in puddles despite wearing his boots. He kept close to the side of the red brick building, trying to shade himself further as he walked.

"Oh...Hm...I'm not sure Rythian. Oh gosh I'm lost- Rythian help oh gosh. Oh hey."

Rythian stood in front of Zoeya as they met at the corner of the building before hanging up the phone. She grinned up at him from under the hood of her bright red rain coat, her dyed red fringe hung over her face in rat tails from the rain and her mushroom print backpack that hung over her right shoulder was clearly soaked through. Despite this, she was still as bright and cheery as she always was. She jumped to his side and hooked her arm with his so they were both hidden from the world under Rythian's umbrella.

"Hey good lookin', what's cookin'?" she asked as they walked up the hill; arm in arm, and out of the campus.

"Oh you know, not a lot, just losing my mind and freaking out while you're not around." He shrugged and laughed, "The usual."

She grinned in response as they approached the main road and began marching up the street towards the campus halls. Rythian choose to stay silent during their journey. Sometimes he simply felt the need to just remain quiet and enjoy the atmosphere when he was around Zoeya. She had no issue with filling the silence it seemed, so he always left her to do all the talking. It was very calming and almost meditative for him. He preferred to listen to her voice than his own droning on about something he hoped she found interesting.

Cars streaked pass and spluttered water up behind them. Zoeya took pleasure in stomping in puddle that formed in the cracks and indents of the tiled street while she described every detail of her day. Rythian grimaced as the filthy water droplets scarred his jeans, soaked through to his skin and caused the hairs on his legs to stand up.

"So then Barry told me about the rebels and...Oh golly I forgot but I'm going out later with Duncan, we're going to The Laboratory to talk about science and computers and stuff."

Rythian scoffed to himself. Duncan may be one of the most intelligent minds of the Computing course but he wasn't the smartest. What he lacked in substance he tried to make up in intellect. He was obsessed with his growth and power than he was the happiness of others, besides his own of course. He wanted to master each aspect of each subject but in doing so he missed out on a lot of important aspects with Rythian found laughable.

"Wouldn't you rather cheat on science with magic? I'm more fun anyway." he boosted with a grin, raising an eyebrow at her suggestively.

"We're doing a group project together and we have to share notes!" she responded, elbowing him in the side with a small laugh. Rythian faked a wince and shot a faux glare at her earning a wide grin from Zoeya.

"I'm sure that's not all he wants to share..." he grumbled with a grin, tightening his arm around hers. "Just make sure he doesn't sway you with any booze, you know how you are with the drink."

"Oh come on Ryth! I only spent four hours playing 'the leaver game' with Tee in serious silence!"

Rythian sighed and laughed softly under his breath as they approached Zoeya's shared house. "Fair enough." He told her as he walked her to the door, making sure she stays sheltered from anymore rain. She stood in the porch of her house and tugged down her hood. The front of her hair was drenched while the back remained completely dry. She pulled her long red hair out from under her coat and tightened the scrunchie that held back her tangled locks. She looked up at the clouds, her brows furrowed in worry.

"Ryth, you think there'll be a thunder and lightnight storm?" She questioned slowly, as if her words had the power to alter the events of the day.

Rythian stared up at the sombre sky and pursed his lips in thought; he shrugged and turned back to her.

"It's hard to tell." He told her, watching the rain water sputter forth from the plastic drain pipes attached to the house and into the dirty gutter below. He had a terrible feeling is his gut that this barrage from above of water was the beginnings of a terrible storm. It made him feel very uncomfortable in leaving Zoeya by herself but he attempted to reassure himself that she would be with the 'great and almighty' Duncan so he would keep her safe. Or so he assumed.

Zoeya and Rythian shared a soggy good bye hug before she scurried inside to dry off and freshen up as Rythian turned and made his way back to his own apartment to grab a much needed towel and a warm cup of coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

The rain caught itself in the wind and blew against Rythian's back as he walked home. The increased torrent of water lashed against his umbrella and his back was shattered with heavy beats of large droplets. He began to shiver and shudder visibly. Slowly he began to stop caring about getting wet as he came to the realization that regardless of whatever water repelling techniques he used, mental or otherwise, he was going to remain soaked. He huffed into his tight collar around his jaw, feeling his breath condense against the collar and his stubble. He kept a sluggish pace as he followed his usual route home to his shared flat, his head down and umbrella pulled over his head so he could cover his body as much as he possibly could.

Rythian noticed the stark contrast between walking alone and walking with Zoeya as he wandered home. When he was with her, the rain didn't matter anymore. She was his company against the hazard of the showers. With his arm linked with hers and her babble to contrast against the monotone droplets from the sky, he was at peace and the rain didn't matter anymore. She was his calm amongst the storm, in ways more than the literal. During his tougher examination times, she was always there to cheer him up and remind him that there was more to life than worrying over things that weren't important. When he first moved in to his new apartment, she was the first person there to use her 'super mega awesome interior design skills' to help him 'pimp out his pad'. She was always there when she could be and he tried the same for her. That was why he was willing to brave the storms to be with her.

While he was lost in thought, his gaze focused on the sombre looking concrete slabs below his feet, he collided with the person in front of him. He uttered a short 'sorry' before looking up and suddenly regretting his apology. Standing before him, donned in his large white raincoat and goggles strapped around his head, was an old 'friend' of Rythian's, if you had the audacity to refer to him as such. Duncan stood in front of him with a lopsided smirk on his face that was framed by his neatly trimmed beard and moustache combo. Rythian dramatically rolled his eyes at him and sighed in an ostentatious manner.

"Afternoon Rythian, lovely weather we're having today." He stated with a cheery tone as he looked up at the forbidding sky and slowly turned back to Rythian.

"Doctor Horrible." He responded cooly while he stared at Duncan. A wider grin spread across the face of the scientist. Rythian groaned to himself, brushed past Duncan and continued to walk towards his apartment only to have his passage interrupted with an arrogant remark.

"Hope you don't mind me spending time with your crazy girlfriend this evening, now do you?" Duncan asked with a smug tone in his voice.

Rythian grated his teeth and exhaled through his teeth with a hiss. He felt Duncan's stare bore into his back. He refused mentally to turn around and give him the pleasure of witnessing his scowl.

"For one Duncan, she's not my girlfriend, she's my..." he thought for a moment, running through all the possible words he could use in his mind. He wanted to say apprentice as he was teaching her the history of magic and various incantations to help with stress and sleeping. He decided against saying that. Gods know how Duncan would choose to interoperate that.

"Companion." He finished flatly, finally turning to stare at Duncan. Duncan stood there, utterly drenched from the rain with arms crossed across his chest, a wide smile spread across his face and his hair in a shaggy sandy mess from the torrential showers.

"And you know what else Duncan? She may be crazy but she's my kind of crazy." He told him in a rough tone, making sure to not break eye contact and retain his blank facial expression. "Now, don't you have things to destroy and misunderstand?"

With that, Rythian turned and walked to his apartment. Duncan watched him go, laughing quietly to himself for a moment before continuing his short walk to Zoeya's, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

-

As soon as Rythian finished digging his hands through every pocket on his person to find his keys and was finished fiddling with the door to get it open, he burst through the threshold of his apartment. Quickly, he disregarded his keys to the small bookcase and threw his coat and boots to the floor. He walked hurriedly to his room, tossed his back pack beside his desk, pulled off his soggy socks and reached his hands over his shoulders. He grabbed the neck line of his damp black t-shirt and tugging it off, casting it into his slightly overflowing washing basket. He picked up his duvet from the floor and threw it messily over his bed as he walked over to the work desk that was covered in many pieces of paper, all with various things scribbled on but had some vague relevance to Rythian and his studies. He booted up his laptop and left it to start up as he walked over to his window. He took his fluffy, white towel from the radiator and watched the rain shatter against the window pane, rolling against the window in streaks. He pulled the towel over his head and ruffled his hair into a relatively dry state, and then he slowly rubbed it down his face to dry out his eyebrows and face. He dragged the towel down his neck and left it hanging there around his shoulders like a scarf.

The soft rumble of thunder echoed through the clouds as they rolled against each other outside and followed by a short flash. Rythian frowned and huffed out a sigh. He briefly recollected Zoeya's fear of loud noises and contemplated running to her house to make sure she was okay. After a few seconds of deliberation, he decided against that.

"Well she's with Duncan so what does she need me for?" he asked no one in particular, shrugging to himself as he sat at his laptop. He pulled through his bag and tugged out his ipod, plugging it into his laptop to recharge after a long day of blaring out Swedish techno.

He stood up slowly; cracking his back and reached into his wardrobe. He took out a fresh shirt and slipped it took a minute to eye himself in the mirror and muss up his hair further to help it dry faster (not to mention retain its style!). When he was satisfied, he walked to the kitchen to make himself that much needed coffee he promised himself earlier.

Rythian was confronted by his flat mate Teep in his bright green dinosaur onesie as he entered the kitchen. Teep had a rather large and dangerously overfilled sandwich in one hand and a mug of tea in the other. He grinned at Rythian and nodded a hello at him before taking a seat at the kitchen table to devour his sandwich savagely. Mayonnaise and ham squeezed out the bottom all over his rugged hands as he took a taste. Teep took no time to lick his hands clean and take another bite.

"You know," Rythian started as he filled the kettle, grabbed his favourite and well chipped mug from the drainer and looked over at Teep, "You're going to have to take that off and wash that thing someday." He expressed, nodding to his onesie. Teep scoffed on his sandwich and shook his head. Teep and his onesie were inseparable. Whenever he didn't have to be outside or attend his classes, he never took it off. It was cute, with a tail attached to the back and a hood with felt spines on. His trade mark piece that earned him his 'the dinosaur' nickname. After another mighty bite, Teep set down his sandwich onto the table and eyed Rythian carefully, in silent communication to ask about his day.

"Oh, yeah it was fine. Same old, same old." Rythian replied with a shrug as he added a generous spoonful of instant coffee to his mug. "Attending lectures, getting wet from the rain, walking with Zoeya."

Teep looked pleased when he mentioned Zoeya and gestured to Rythian to continue as he took a long gulp of tea. Rythian frowned over his shoulder at him as the kettle ticked off and he filled his mug with steaming hot water.

"She's with Duncan this evening. What's so great about him anyway?" he started, "So he does science and wears goggles, I mean big deal. Everyone can do science. It's all method and straight answers. Simple stuff really." Rythian ranted, drinking deep from his cup.

Teep shrugged at him as he finished his sandwich, his face covered in mayonnaise. He stood up and patted Rythian on the shoulder in a reassuring manner with a toothy smile, dropping his empty mug in the sink. Rythian sighed and stared out the window and watched the clouds in the distance light up with white highlights from slashing lightning that cast open the sky further. These unleashed stronger torrents of water straight from the heavens. As the lightning struck and lit up the world for the brief flash, Rythian recognized a figure walking down the path to the apartment next door.

"Is that...Is that Duncan?" he asked Teep, who joined him in the gaze out the window. Teep frowned in thought, his brows pressing together and his lips pursed. He nodded in response earning a soft 'shit' from Rythian. He threw his remaining coffee down the drain, chucked his mug in the sink and charged into his room. He ripped his MP3 player free from his laptop and grabbed his deep purple hoodie from the door hanger. He shoved the headphones and the player deep into his hoodie pocket and shrugged on the hooded sweat shirt.

"That...That ugh! He just doesn't understand!" Rythian yelled as he thought his sneakers onto his bare feet. "He just doesn't understand anything does he? To busy wrapped up in his personal gain to realise things."

Teep watched him from the kitchen and raised his shoulders in a shrug, unsure how to respond. He tried to avoid speaking during the days; he was saving his voice for practice and rehearsals with his thrash metal band and dare not damage it by talking. Luckily, everyone understood this and didn't question him further. His voice had become a sacred thing and those who were lucky to hear it outside of his singing/screaming where considered privileged.

Rythian pulled up his hood, charged to the front door and grabbed his keys from the shelf, "I need to see if she's okay, she must be terrified...I just can't leave her by herself. Not during a storm like this."

Teep simply smiled knowingly and wriggled his eyebrows at him. Rythian choose not to respond and stepped outside into the rain, shutting the door behind him. Teep walked over to the window and watched him go before deciding it was time to re-watch the Land Before Time for the fifth time that week. This time was different. This time he remembered to bring his box of tissues with him.

Rythian broke out into sprint, his feet barely touching the ground for more than a millisecond. He charged down the paves street and kicked up water with every bound. The sheet of rain smashed against him, soaking through is fabric hoodie and straight through to his skin. He pressed forward and climbed the hill. He stumbled on a loose tile but quickly regained his balance and speed. His head pounded and his muscles ached in an attempt to make him slow down. He refused his body and followed what he knew was the best thing to do.

Clouds collided and erupted in ear shattering rumbles. Lightning tore through the grey sky. Rythian kept running relentlessly.

He slowed down as he approached the front door of Zoeya's shared house. He gasped for air and grabbed his ribs as he banged the side of his fist against the door. Cramps racked up his sides and the backs of his legs. He sucked in the air as best as he could but he found it impossible to breathe.

Lomadia opened the door to him, her owl hat perched delicately on her head and Mr Owl was tucked under her right arm. Before she could speak to ask him why he was here during such terrible weather, he blurted through ragged breath, "Is Zoey here?"

"Erm...Yeah she's just in her room." She responded with a confused and startled tone before stepping aside to allow him access. He nodded in thanks and kicked off his soggy shoes. With air finally reaching his lungs, he walked silently to Zoeya's room, listening to the thunder crack in the distance. He paused before her room and then gently taped on the well decorated door. After he got no response, he called out for her and alerted her to his existence.

"Zoey? It's me, Rythain. I'm coming in okay?" He slowly turned the handle to try not to startle her further. The door clicked open as he entered her unnaturally neat room; her lamp was turned off as well as her computer. He found her sat on floor pressed against corner where her bed met the wall. She was bundled up under her mushroom print bed sheets, her head and nose just barely poking out from underneath it. The blinds behind her were drew shut but the flashes of white light broke through the cracks and briefly highlighted the room. Each time the lightning cracked and thunder roared, she let out a high pitched whimper in distress, tensing up under the quilt.

Rythian removed his MP3 player and removed his hoodie, letting it drop to his ankles. He knelt before her and carefully pulled back the covers. She stared up at him with watery eyes and sniffled. He tentatively touched her face and brushed her cheek with his cold fingers before gently pushing the headphones over her ears. He sat down next to her, turned on the music player and searched through the varying playlists to find the right songs to help soothe her.

When he found the right songs, he hit play and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him to try and provide more comfort. The song sung through the speakers and offered her some comfort, not to mention the comfort that come from Rythian's presence. She loosened up and sighed, resting her head against his shoulder as the wind shook the window behind her.  
_  
"Big surprise, I'm a ghost keeping out of sight  
Rub your eyes, you're a star in a summer night.  
This is love, this is war, its insanity  
Dementia, you're driving me crazy."_

He listened to the music, mouthed along the lyrics and rested his head on top of hers. He watched her as she reached her hand out from under the covers to find his. Rythian slipped his hand over Zoeya's. He entangled his fingers with hers and gave her hand a comforting squeeze.

"We'll ride through the storm together." He told her as he brushed his thumb against hers. She stayed silent but nodded in reply.

Rythian didn't move a muscle since he sat next to her, afraid of disturbing her from her new found peace. Zoeya occasionally shuffled and moved against him to stay comfortable but he didn't mind. Rythian knew he would probably have to stay in the night in his damp clothing but he didn't care, he'd go above and beyond the call of duty for her well being. They sat together for many hours into the night; the only sound filling the air was their gentle breathing, the music leaking from the headphones and the rumbling of the sky above.


End file.
